Extraordinary Tales of Musicians Who Made Music That Changed the World

Ron Cornelius Shares First-Hand Memories of Dylan, Cohen & Others in New Book

British journalist Sylvie Simmons sums things up well when she states that “Ron Cornelius has stories.” And oh what stories they are.

Ron’s new book, THE GUITAR BEHIND DYLAN & COHEN, is a must-read for fans of rock, soul, country, pop, folk, bluegrass and other genres, from the early sixties to the 21st Century. In it, the ace guitarist recounts tales from his over 40 years as a sideman, band leader, songwriter and recording artist, and the musical who’s who he’s worked with.

“When the Man in Black played his legendary San Quentin Prison concert, Ron was there with him, behind the bars,” wrote Simmons, a Cohen biographer, in the forward to THE GUITAR BEHIND DYLAN & COHEN. “Ask him to tell you the story about Leonard Cohen, Dennis Hopper and the audience at a state hospital in California wine country some time….”

Hopper and the audience at a state hospital in California wine country some time….”

After turning pro at 16, he backed Chubby Checker, Smoky Robinson & the Miracles, Jan & Dean, Sonny & Cher and other rock-n-roll royalty when they toured his native California. Starting in the mid-1960s Ron shared the studio and the road with such icons as Johnny Cash, Flatt and Scruggs, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin and of course, the iconic singer-songwriters Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

He played on seven Dylan albums, including “Self Portrait” and “New Morning,” who once performed a one-one-one mini-concert for him.

performed a one-one-one mini-concert for him.

With the late, great Cohen, Ron recorded four albums, including “Songs of Love and Hate” and “Songs From A Room.” He also co-wrote one of Cohen’s signature tunes, “Chelsea Hotel #2” and toured the world with him, serving as band director in the late sixties and early seventies.

Given his first-person, intimate involvement with popular music history, Ron has a deep reservoir of memories that he shares, essay style, in “THE GUITAR BEHIND DYLAN & COHEN.”

“For those of us who have never known the pleasure of standing center stage in Radio City Music Hall or basked in the grandeur of The Royal Albert Hall in London, a stroll through Ron’s memory banks is a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring a common man into the truly uncommon and often times serial world of celebrity music,” writes Phil Sweetland, a music and radio contributor to the New York Times.

To learn more or to purchase a signed copy of “THE GUITAR BEHIND DYLAN & COHEN/ visit our store on the home page and click book picture " Autographed Copy Here "

For more information or to arrange an interview with Ron, contact ron@gatewayentertainment.com or call 615-398-5003.